Years ago I was sitting in a small shack that a family called home. The father, about my age, was afraid of what the future might hold for his family. He expressed his fear through his language, his sad eyes, his forlorn look. I left that meeting more aware of
A friend and partner, Josh, was reminiscing about a corporate drama we had faced years ago. He and I were not central to the battle, but a close friend was. Because of that friendship we were guilty by association. The fallout of all this was our friend was frozen out of
A short post this week because I’m traveling. This simple insight — new to me but probably glaringly obvious to everyone else — struck me when I was reading Matthew 16. Peter calls Jesus the Christ in Matthew 16:16. It was a key turning point in his understanding of who
Are you still so dull? Yes, yes I am. Despite 2000 years of trying, we followers of Jesus still manage to misunderstand Jesus. At least in part because we insist on taking things literally. This struck me when, for about the millionth time, I was laughing at how clueless the
We all have our share of crazy people around us. I don’t mean clinically crazy. I mean the people who have crazy opinions that cause us to shake our heads in bewilderment. Or they make decisions based on easily disproved facts. Or they anticipate a series of events with no
What might a generous friendship look like? Typically we think of a friend who is kind, loving, and supportive. Thank God for friends like that. They are indeed generous friends. But sometimes we need friends who kick our butts. Actually that’s not quite true. We always need friends who kick our butts.
I’m not a public speaker, but on occasion there are groups foolish (or brave) enough to extend an invitation. My inclination is to accept all the invitations if the logistics and timing work. A few years ago when my first book was released, a number of small groups asked me
Last week’s post focused on the endless expressions of the church. Cultures, traditions, languages, theology, worship style, history, even church architecture all contribute to differences. Thank goodness. A friend mentioned something I spoke about in a small group years ago. It is an example of different cultural contexts and makes